Getting Ready for Sandy

Hurricane Sandy has hit Toronto and while I prepared by making sure we were stocked up with candles, first aid supplies and matches, I didn’t bother telling the Princess as it would just cause unnecessary worry. I knew that other areas would be hit harder than we would, it wouldn’t hurt to safe. I picked up the Princess as usual but she was panicked and told me we needed to get home as soon as possible because we would “blow away and the city would be destroyed.” I stooped down and asked her what was wrong. She explained to me that her teacher had told them about the Frankenstorm that was coming our way and Princess was afraid. I explained to her that it was going to be no worse than any other storm we had experienced. I hugged her and took her home as fast as I could. I knew she was upset and being at home would make her feel much better. The entire time she kept insisting we were in peril and despite my best efforts to calm her, she was sure that we would be hurt in this storm.

I then sat her down and explained that I had endured the Ice Storm of 1998. I told her that for almost 20 days, we were without power and I had 17 relatives living in my home. She sat there in front of me enthralled by the thought of my surroundings covered in inches of ice, telephone poles collapsing like match sticks and no television. I also explained that while it was very dangerous to be outside, it was also on of the best times I’ve ever had. It was like living in the pioneer days. We heated water on the wood stove, played games with my sisters and cousins and my dad only even cooked my sister’s birthday cake on the barbecue. I told her that this storm would be nothing like that and while it may be scary, it was very unlikely anything bad would happen. After that she seemed more at ease and even felt comfortable looking out the window to watch the wind blow in the trees.

This is not an image from my home back then, but just an idea of the amount of ice that hit Ontario, Quebec, some of the Eastern Provinces and some States.

She is now sleeping peacefully just as the wind outside is getting stronger. Hubby and I are watching TV, checking the news periodically but knowing that we will be fine. I understand that the teacher was probably just trying to inform the students about the storm that is happening, but somehow the Princess turned it into some sort of Perfect Storm-esque situation.

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I remember fondly the times we would loose power for days when I was a child. We lived on the outskirts of a small town on a dead end street so we were some of the last people to get power regained to us. I loved having the kerosene lanterns, walking around by candlelight, cooking over our trusty Timberline wood burning stove, and just being together without much to distract us.